Underneath the Clown
by Little Miss Lovejoy
Summary: Krusty is not sure why he ended up in his executive assistant's apartment. (Rated T only for a teeny bit of potty language)


"Oh, God, where am I?" the disoriented clown opened his eyes, looking around groggily, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Everything was so neat and clean—it certainly was not any place he'd ever seen.

"You're in my apartment, Krusty," a sweet voice came from beside him.

Krusty looked to the left, seeing his executive assistant, looking at her with wide, confused eyes. "Oh, God!" he exclaimed. "We didn't screw, did we?"

Miss Pennycandy blushed a little. "No, sir," she assured the man.

"Then what the Hell am I doing here?" Krusty really could not comprehend why he would be in a woman's apartment with no memory unless they had banged that night before.

"You got too drunk at a party last night and were about to go off with that Sanderson woman."

"Aw, the girl from that _porno_ I like so much!?" Krusty was disappointed to say the least. Why would she stop him from going with her? That would've been one wild night.

"No, that one that stars in that new sitcom."

"Oh God—I hate that woman! Her face looks like it got run over by a bus! Thanks for getting me out of that one, Lois."

"No problem, sir," the woman smiled. "Just doing my job—making sure everything runs smoothly for you."

"Thanks a bunch—oh God, my head fucking hurts!"

"Here's some aspirin," Lois handed the man two pills and a glass of water.

Krusty took the medicine and smiled. "You really go out of your way. You know you're not getting paid extra, right?"

"I don't want extra money. I just like seeing you happy, Krusty."

The man blushed slightly before coughing into his hand and looking the other way.

They sat in silence for a little while, Krusty lighting up a cigar and trying to relax, and Miss Pennycandy just watching him.

She did not need his gratitude; she just liked knowing he was safe, but knowing he was grateful was a nice feeling.

After a few minutes of silence and feeling like he was being watched, Krusty looked to the woman. "Hey, hey! What the Hell are you staring at?"

Lois blushed hard. "I'm sorry." She stood up and started to tidy up a little, gathering the sheets the man had slept on the night before and putting them in the laundry.

The clown stood up with a heavy sigh, putting out his cigar and gathering his things.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lois walked back in, hands on her hips.

"Uh. . ."

"I cancelled your engagements for this morning. You're not going anywhere until you are feeling a bit better."

"What am I supposed to do here?"

Lois calmly turned on the television and sat on the couch, patting a spot beside her for the man.

Krusty sighed and sat next to his assistant. Seeing his own face on the screen, he raised his eyes. "Jeez, am I always on so early in the morning? Who the Hell is normally up at this hour?"

"Children wake up for Saturday morning cartoons."

"Do I always look that huge?" Krusty frowned at the appearance of himself on the screen. "Oy. . ." he hit his forehead with his palm.

"The camera adds ten pounds, remember."

The man sunk back against the couch. "That joke is so old!" he said after watching himself on the television a few minutes. "That's not even funny."

"I thought it was funny," Lois smiled encouragingly.

"You're just saying that. The joke's a dud. I'm a dud. . . Oy, I should have listened to my papa!"

"Don't you say that!" the woman gasped.

"Oh, Hell. Papa—it's his birthday!" Krusty sat up. "I promised I would stop by on his birthday, but I—I can't present myself with all this cake on my face! Not on his birthday. . . Oh, what am I going to do?" the man put his face in his hands, sobbing frustratingly.

"We could take the makeup off your face," Miss Pennycandy suggested.

"That's so much work," the man grunted.

"Shh, follow me to the bathroom, and I will help you wash it off."

Once in the small yet orderly bathroom, Krusty looked around. "Everything's so. .. pink."

Lois laughed softly before pulling out the clown's makeup remover and applying it to his face.

"You just carry this stuff in your purse?"

"I'm always prepared. Now hold still."

As more of the makeup was removed and more of his face was revealed from underneath, the woman smiled. Sometimes, she forgot there was a man underneath the clown. She was so used to seeing him as Krusty the Clown, but underneath, he was Herschel Krustofsky.

Once the daunting task was complete, and the makeup was removed, the woman planted a kiss on the man's cheek.

"Eh, what was that for?" Krusty raised his eyes, blushing slightly.

"Sorry. I just believe you have a nice face."

"Hm," Krusty peered into the mirror. "Sometimes I forget what my face even looks like." He laughed a little. He spent more of his life with that clown makeup on than without.

"It is a very handsome face," Lois smiled.

"Alright, alright. I don't pay you to compliment me. Drive me to my father's so I can get this over with."

Lois sighed. "You should probably have a nicer attitude, Krusty. It's your father's birthday."

"Like he's ever had a nice attitude towards _me_!"

"And he _won't_ if you don't treat him the way you want to be treated yourself."

"I already took the clown face off. What more do you want from me?!"

Lois sighed a bit sharply, gathering her purse and car keys. "A little respect, maybe," she muttered quietly. As they headed to the car, however, she could not help but smile watching him. Seeing him out of makeup made her heart skip a beat.

Underneath the clown, there was a man—a man who had disappointed her time after time, but a man who she loved more than anything, despite that. She loved both the man and the clown. And while she never got anything in return from either, she would still stay by his side forever, as his executive assistant and his friend, even if he did not show as much appreciation as she wished.


End file.
